Thursday, September 22, 2016

The abandoned Family School Fureai in Japan

The city of Yubari on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, is known as the "Detroit of Japan". Back in 1960 it was the "capital of coal" and had a population of 120,000. By 1990, when the last coal mine closed, the population had plummeted down to 20,000 people and when the city declared bankruptcy in 2007, less than 10,000 people still lived there. To make things worse, it's also the city with the oldest population in the country.

As coal miners and their families were fleeing Yubari during the last decades, they left behind a large number of abandoned buildings. Asahi Elementary School opened in 1975 to consolidate 3 other local schools (Teimi, Fukuzumi & Daini) that already experienced a sharp decline in the number of students. Then, 413 students were attending the school. By 1982, only 60 students were left.

It was then when it was decided to close the school and convert it into a public dormitory under the management a semi-public corporation – Yubari Kanko Kaihatsu. The building became known as Family School Fureai. In 2006 the company went bankrupt and the school closed forever.

Since then, Family School Fureai has been sitting abandoned. The building has been damaged due to water leaks while it has also been heavily vandalized. Wild animals and occasionally people can be found living inside.